It’s all about…The Lamb is a quarterly publication for lovers of the Holy Lamb of
God, who also enjoy poetry. The purpose is to magnify our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, and inspire an ever-deepening relationship with Him, the lover of our
souls.

FESTIVE HOLIDAY EVENT

MAUDE CAROLAN
PYCH—Featured Poet

VICTORIA
WARNE—Featured Musician

Friday, December 19th, 7 p.m.

The ANT Bookstore

345 Clifton Avenue, Clifton, NJ

Press
release:

On
Friday, December 19th at 7 p.m., the ANT Bookstore and Café at 345 Clifton
Ave., Clifton, NJ, celebrates the festive holiday time with a special poetry
and music event. This month’s featured poet is local Totowa resident Maude
Carolan Pych, who together with musician Victoria Warne will transform the
ANT. An open mic follows. Free
admission. Info: 973-777-2704.

Clifton
coordinators – poet James Gwyn and musician Victoria Warne – are always looking
for anyone interested in participating. Contact them at the event or at ergo.therefore@gmail.com.

Maude
Carolan Pych is a former newspaper reporter who now
writes inspirational poetry and poems to record family history. She’s a
four-time finalist and twice recipient of Editor's Choice Awards in the Allen
Ginsberg contest, and she has won awards for poetry at St. Catherine of Bologna
Art Exhibition, Ringwood. Her poems have appeared in The Paterson Literary Review, Sensations Magazine, Lips, The Pillar
Monthly, and William W. Francis' book, "Celebrate
the Feasts of the Lord." She regularly posts to her blog: http://maudespoems.com.
Current chapbooks include God’s Square
Mile—Poems about Ocean Grove; A Pilgrim's Quest—A Poet Visits the Holy Land;
From My Heart to Yours at Christmas—Cookies & Poems; and The Widow's Song. Maude belongs to the
North Jersey Christian Writers Group. A mother and grandmother, she and her
husband, Robert, reside in Totowa. They attend Beth Israel Messianic Center,
Wayne, where Maude serves as a deaconess.

Victoria Warne is a singer/songwriter and leader of the Victoria Warne Band. She
has played in many local venues and has toured internationally and recorded two
CDs that blend blues, rock, and jazz elements. Her many past collaborators have
ranged from Spyro Gyra’s Julio Fernandez to jazz great Billy Eckstine. Joining
Victoria on December 17th will be guitarist Cathy Vita of Totowa. Victoria has made Clifton her home since
2004.

Come, join us…

Admission is free

Refreshments will be served

Open mic follows

MAUDE’S CHRISTMAS
POEMS:

This
season I wrote and mailed out two Christmas poems to family and friends because
I couldn’t decide which one to send. Both poems rhyme. The first one was
written during the Christmas season last winter while Christmas cookies were
looking so delectable and tempting on the pretty holiday platter. Poem #2 was
inspired and penned recently after a radio commercial mentioned the “Season of
Lights” and started me thinking about Hanukkah and Christmas, the Light of the
World and the candles on the menorah.

+ + + THE POEMS
FOLLOW + + +

COOKIES & POEMS

So
many Christmas traditions abound—

Old
ones get lost and then new ones are found.

Some
get omitted, but there are a few

things
we love doing and simply must do.

For
instance, I write a poem every year—

a
real Christmas poem that draws Jesus near;

a
poem that lauds Him, Star of the Season,

for
He’s this holiday’s only true reason.

The
poem’s perfect paper, I search far to find,

arrange
words artistically as I’ve in mind,

select
address labels with the same theme,

choose
envelopes, stamps that go with the scheme.

The
pen and the ink are chosen with care.

To
use best penmanship, I have a flair!

I
write out hundreds with joy and much zest

and
sometimes include a few words to bless.

Bob
applies the stamps and labels and seals;

a
trip to the post office completes the deal.

When
they’re mailed, I start thinking cookies—

Trust
me, with baking, I am no rookie!

We
select recipes; gather the tins,

make
sure there’s flour and sugar in bins,

stock
up on butter and chocolate and nuts,

molasses
and spices and trims lots and lots!

I
block off a few days in my datebook,

roll
up my sleeves; open up the cookbook.

Chocolate
chippers, and shortbread soooo buttery,

sweet
sugar cookies, anise biscotti,

spicy
pfeffernuesse and wee pecan jewels,

drop
cookies, rolled cookies, some cut with tools.

Bob
stirs the batters; they’re thick as can be

and
he’s the chief taster, take it from me!

Each
cookie and poem is fashioned with love—

LOVE
is what Christmastime is made up of.

God’s
gift of LOVE came with the Savior’s birth

and
there’s no other gift of greater worth!

These
simple gifts…some cookies, a poem,

for Christmas, to
you,
from our humble home.

Maude
Carolan Pych

DECEMBER LIGHTS

It’s
the Season of Lights…We delight in the glow

of
Christmas and Hanukkah; the stories we know

of
God’s awesome miracles, deliverance and Birth

to
show His great Love for all people on Earth.

Alongside
our manger there stands a menorah;

we
sing Joy to the World and then dance
the Hora,

ignite
the nine lamps and hang a wreath on the door,

tell
of brave Maccabees, the virgin birth and more.

We
worship with believers, Gentiles and Jews,

we
recite the Shema and share the Good News,

read
Old Covenant prophesies from A to Z

like
the Gospel revealed in Isaiah Fifty-three!

Our
Messiah is Jesus; Yeshua, some say—

He’s
the Light of the World; our great hope for today!

We
praise Him, adore Him, we’re blessed to impart:

His
fire burns brightly in our circumcised hearts!

We
believe He was born to save us from sin,

that
He died and was buried then rose up again.

By
Blood He has saved us, our Atonement, He Is!

By
His Resurrection, we’ll live for He Lives!

We
are Olive Tree branches, Gentile and Jew—

united
in Messiah…and all Born Anew!

Maude
Carolan Pych

Comments
are always welcome and appreciated. If possible, please post them directly to
the website.

Look
for the next edition of It’s all about…the Lamb, March 15,
2015

A FEW CLOSING WORDS…

Dear Reader/Subscriber,

Since Christmas is just a few days away…

Take a few minutes to do something Christmassy for yourself: Sing your
favorite Christmas carol and meditate upon the lyrics or linger at the crèche
or read Luke, Chapter 2 while sipping a cup of peppermint tea. Whatever you do,
let it be a sweet time of blessing with the Lord.

About the Poet

I'm a former newspaper reporter who now writes inspirational poetry and poems to record family history. A four-time finalist and three-time recipient of Editor's Choice Awards in the national Allen Ginsberg contest, I've twice won awards for poetry at the St. Catherine of Bologna Art Exhibition, Ringwood, NJ. My poems have appeared in "The Paterson Literary Review," "Sensations Magazine," "Lips," "The Pillar Monthly" and William W. Francis' book, "Celebrate the Feasts of the Lord." I'm a member of the North Jersey Christian Writer's Group and Ringwood Manor Association of the Arts. I have recently published a 411-page memoir in poetry. It's titled, "Wonderhoods." My chapbooks include "God's Square Mile--Poems about Ocean Grove", "A Pilgrim's Quest--A Poet Visits the Holy Land"; "From My Heart to Yours at Christmas--Cookies & Poems," and "The Widow's Song." A mom and grandmom, I remarried in 2006, and reside in the Garden State with my husband, Robert. Born again believers, we worship at Beth Israel Worship Center, Wayne, where I serve as a deaconess.